Gallardo goes RWD

The Lamborghini Gallardo’s appeal has been further enhanced by the addition of an extrovert Valentino Balboni edition. The Lamborghini engineers have concocted the new two-wheel drive version of the ‘baby’ Lamborghini and named it after the company’s celebrated test and development driver.

The 550bhp two-wheel drive Gallardo is the only Lamborghini not to feature all-wheel drive, and that makes it the toughest challenger yet for arch rival Ferrari’s 430 Scuderia. The suspension set-up has been overhauled to compensate for the fact it has 50% less traction, including revised spring and damper rates, new tyres and modified aerodynamics.

The Valentino Baldoni is 30kg lighter, seriously upping the car’s power-to-weight ratio, and the top speed is now a Murcielago threatening 199mph. The now-irrelevant 0-60mph dash is now dispatched in 3.9 seconds.

The special edition is marked out by white and gold stripes running over the bodywork, and a bold interior featuring white leather on the seats and centre console. A mere 250 examples will be produced, and unusually for a supercar manufacturer, it’s a case of ‘less is less’ with the limited edition coming in at £137.900, almost £3000 cheaper than standard LP 550-4.